Over the Counter: Enjoy a healthy summer diet

Tuesday

Jun 24, 2014 at 6:08 PMJun 24, 2014 at 6:10 PM

By Dr. Gary Kracoff and Steve BernardiMore Content Now

Fresh, juicy strawberries straight from the farm. Crisp green leaf lettuce loaded with nutrients. A tall glass of ice water flavored with a sprig of mint from the backyard garden. These are some of the ingredients that go into healthy eating in the summertime, a season that presents us with a wonderful opportunity to sample locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables.Having spent the winter and most of the spring at the supermarket, we can now venture farther afield – literally – to fill up our shopping bags with food and enhance our diets and our health.Let’s start with strawberries. Fresh foods lose nutrients when they are shipped hundreds or even thousands of miles from where they are grown to where they are bagged at checkout. So the fresher fruit is when it arrives at the table, the higher the nutritional value. That’s why strawberries taste so much better when you bite into them at a pick-your-own farm, a summer pastime for many people.Picking your own provides the perfect way to avoid the pesticide residue that can linger on store-bought fresh foods. The Environmental Working Group publishes an annual “Dirty Dozen” list of fruits and vegetables that often test high for pesticides, urging consumers to go organic when they select those. On the latest list, strawberries rank second (behind apples), but you can find a farm in your neck of the woods that grows its crops using organic practices.The Environmental Working Group compiles a companion list, called the “Clean Fifteen,” that includes another summer staple: sweet corn (listed just below top-ranked avocados). But even though it is highly likely to be free of pesticides, as this list indicates, corn should be consumed in moderation because it is more difficult to digest.Another reason of concern to many of us? Plenty of corn on the market is subject to genetic engineering, which has sparked controversy over food product labeling and safety. According to the Non-GMO Project (“GMO” stands for genetically modified organism), genetically engineered corn can be found in the supermarket produce aisle as well as at local farmers markets. But the nonprofit group advises consumers to buy corn from certified organic farms because they are prohibited from knowingly planting GMO corn seed.So let’s move on to the good, green stuff that can help clean up the mess we made of ourselves over the winter. The more vibrant the color of food, the better it is for us. Green-leaf vegetables such as kale and spinach, along with cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower, become abundant in the summer. They are rich in important fiber, vitamins and minerals that can help protect the body against heart disease and diabetes.Cucumbers are a solid source of beta-carotene – a powerful antioxidant that protects against aging and cancer – and are a natural diuretic that hydrates and helps lower blood pressure. Bell peppers are low in calories and high in vitamins; the carotenoids, or natural pigments, found in red, orange and yellow peppers have been linked with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.Tomatoes are known for their bright red shade, but what some might not know is that they can help protect against sunburn. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, a natural ingredient that gives the fruit its red color, and this pigment protects against ultraviolet light exposure, according to researchers at Newcastle University in England.With fresh cut vegetables and a nice vinaigrette, you can make a meal out of the leafy greens that you pick from the backyard or the local farmers market. If not salad, then soup? Hot soup may be out of the question for the summer months, but there’s one style of soup that’s cool enough to stay on the menu: gazpacho. You can ladle this chilled blend of fresh veggies and Latin spices – high in nutrients, low in calories and sodium – and serve it up with a sandwich.Avocados, another fresh food that frequently finds its way into summer meals, come packed with fiber and important vitamins. This fruit from trees in Mexico and Central America may be high in fat, but it’s the “good” kind, called monounsaturated fat, that improves cholesterol levels and reduces heart disease risks.Many people place avocado slices in salads or wedged in their burgers to add color and flavor. If you are building a burger or a hot dog, consider wrapping them in whole grain buns to avoid the processed and refined white flour found in many bargain bags of bread. You can go bun-free if you are gluten free, of course.Hamburgers and hot dogs are full of fat, sodium and cholesterol, but there are ways to make these popular summer foods more healthy. For burgers, it’s as easy as purchasing lean ground beef and even mixing in some turkey. Hot dogs come in light or low-fat options, which are made from turkey or chicken. Another alternative is to ditch the dogs and burgers and go grill with skinless chicken breasts and a side of vegetables seasoned with olive oil.With chicken in the mix, salmonella contamination becomes a real concern. That’s why it’s important to keep the cutting board for the meat separate from the cutting board for the vegetables, and then be sure to fully cook your food. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella is more common in the summer because the warmer temperatures give the bacteria a greater opportunity to contaminate food. If you have a picnic or backyard barbecue, be sure to move leftover food to the fridge as soon as possible — no more than two hours after mealtime ends, or an hour on hot days, the CDC recommends.Hot weather also brings out the dangers of dehydration. Avoid sugary drinks. Try a homeopathic blend that is designed to help the body absorb water. If you are exercising or working out in the heat, be sure to stay hydrated. A good indicator is that if you are not urinating every two hours or so, then you’re not ingesting enough water. But don’t overdo it. Guzzling gallons of water can send your body in the opposite direction of over-hydration, so sip water throughout the day.And enjoy summer in good health.——Steve Bernardi is a compounding pharmacist and Dr. Gary Kracoff is a registered pharmacist and a naturopathic doctor at Johnson Compounding and Wellness Center (www.naturalcompounder.com) in Waltham, Massachusetts. Readers with questions about natural or homeopathic medicine, compounded medications or health in general can email steveandgary@naturalcompounder.com.